Trojans are back in the Top 25

After one year out of the AP Top 25, the Trojans used a big win against the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday night to vault themselves back in.

USC hadn’t been ranked since the Week 3 poll of the 2018 season, when a loss to Stanford dropped them to No. 22. One week later, the Trojans dropped out completely after being blown out by Texas.

It’s been a long road back. Following a 5-7 season, the Trojans received one vote in the 2019 pre-season poll and one vote in the Week 2 poll. This week, the Trojans sit at No. 22, one spot behind the Washington Huskies.

Overall, the Pac-12 has five teams in the Top 25, as well as three teams receiving votes. The Trojans will play all but one of those teams, as they miss Washington State during the regular season. Utah checks in as the highest-ranked Pac-12 program, at No. 11.

The Big Ten leads the way with seven entries, while the SEC has six, though they do provide five of the top nine teams. The Big 12 and ACC each have two, while the American and Mountain West each have one, and Notre Dame is in as an independent.

USC will take it’s ranking on the road this weekend, as the Trojans travel to Provo, Utah, to take on BYU. The Cougars are coming off a 29-26, double overtime win at Tennessee.

Author
Erik McKinney

Erik McKinney began writing for WeAreSC in 2004, during his junior year at USC, covering the Trojans football team and recruiting. He then moved on to ESPN.com in 2011, where he served as the West Region recruiting reporter and then the Pac-12 recruiting reporter. He took over as publisher of WeAreSC in January, 2019.